So exactly how much water do you need?

That really depends on the individual, but if you notice any of the following signs, drink up because you may be dehydrated.
>> Fatigue

>> Loss of appetite

>> Flushed skin

>> Heat intolerance

>> Light-headedness

>> Dark-colored urine

>> Dry cough

The best way to beat dehydration is to drink before you get thirsty. If you wait until after you’re thirsty, it’s too late.

Make your daily dose of water flavorful and fun.

If a glass of plain old water just seems too boring, there are so many ways to “dress” it up with more flavor by infusing with fruit and other ingredients. By making your own infused waters you can create any combination you love and add as little or as much fruits and herbs into your drink as you like!

The possibilities are endless… and delicious!

Fruit infused water is a wonderful and refreshing drink option for summer when the sun is out. If the kids are bored get them involved in crafting their favorite recipe.

Tell us your secrets to keeping you and your family hydrated. Share your favorite fruit combination!

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you.

Listen up

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) condition is the chronic blockage of the air passage during your sleep cycle. Most often, this happens when the muscles in the back of your throat or mouth relax, allowing your tongue to obstruct your airway, cutting off oxygen to your lungs and brain.

After an OSA episode, breathing usually resumes with a loud gasp, snort or body jerk. Often patients aren’t aware this is happening—though if they’re spending time in bed with a significant other, their partner probably is.

Sleep apnea doesn’t sound like the most exciting topic for a radio show to tackle, so what’s up with the interview?

Greg Bishop knows that by talking Sleep apnea, he’s saving lives.

One in five Americans has mild OSA, while the diagnosis in another one in five is moderate to severe OSA.

A grand total of 75 million Americans lives every night with sleep apnea. And, those are just the ones who know. It’s estimated that 80-90 percent of breathing disorders remain undiagnosed.

In the best-case scenarios, patients find themselves fatigued throughout the day. Worst case, they suffer Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and find themselves in dangerous situations. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to heart attack, stroke, diabetes and other serious health conditions—including suffocation.

Check, check. One, two.

Warning signs of sleep apnea in adults

* Snoring

* Waking up suddenly and feeling like you’re gasping or choking

* Drowsiness or Excessive Daytime Sleepiness

* Dry mouth or sore throat when you wake up

* Headaches in the morning

* Trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, depression, or irritability

* Trouble waking up in the mornings

* Sweating a lot at night

* Restlessness during sleep

Symptoms in adolescents may not be as obvious. In addition to the symptoms listed above, keep an eye out for:

* Unusual sleeping positions, such as sleeping on the hands and knees, or with their neck hyperextended,

* Bed wetting,

* Choking or drooling, or

* Rib cage moves inward when they’re exhaling.

Left untreated sleep apnea can be deadly.

What’s Potts gonna do

If you have OSA, Dr. Potts’ll fit you with a mandibular advancement device (MAD). Nope, not a medieval torture device. The MAD opens your airway by moving your lower jaw (known in doctor speak as the mandible) forward. As your jaw moves forward, the collapsible part of your airway kept open.

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you.

We have just come through Stress Awareness Month and chances are you were probably too busy and stressed out to notice. That’s part of the problem with our current society. We get so caught up in what is going on in our lives—work, school, emails, texts, bills—that we don’t notice the important things that have an impact on our health.

Stress – it can take its toll on you. Visit your dentist for help with managing stress.

One such area is in our dental health. Although you may not realize it, this area may have an impact on your stress levels. It’s actually a two-way street: By reducing your stress, you reduce your likeliness of having dental problems. And if you reduce your dental problems, then you can actually have less stress in your life.

Snoring/Sleep Apnea

Drowning out your snoring with music from your headphones will not help your stress levels. Unless it’s a meditation you’re listening to!

Although snoring by itself isn’t necessarily a sign of sleep apnea, the two do often go hand-in-hand. This can cause stress for you and your loved ones as it prevents you from getting a good night’ sleep. Your partner is in the same boat as he or she has to stay up all night listening to your snores.

Take this simple test to see what your sleep apnea risk is. Visit your dentist with your concerns.

If you’ve ever had a full night’s sleep and still woken up to feel like you’ve been run over by a truck, then you may have a problem with sleep apnea that keeps you from getting restful sleep. If this is left unchecked, it can harm your heart and lead to major health problems so you should definitely consult your doctor and maybe have a sleep study. One way to fix your snoring, however, is with a mandibular advancement device that resembles a sports mouth guard. It retrains the mouth so that your jaw shifts and your tongue is held in place so as not to cause snoring and apnea. This is a simple solution that can save you untold levels of health problems.

TMJ affects the muscles in the jaw area causing great pain. Your dentist has many options to offer to support you. Henry Vandyke Carter [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

TMJ

If your stress levels cause you to grind your teeth or keep your jaw clenched tightly, then you will find that your jaw can lock and you can start to have serious problems with eating and headaches. This can also be from TMJ.

All of these devices can be used to help reduce your stress levels by knocking out your symptoms and treating dental issues that are also caused by too much stress.

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you.

Your dentist will check your mouth for oral cancer every time you visit – we just like to remind you during April.

Dentists give confidence and support to patients who have problems with their oral health.

What you may not realize is that sometimes, a dental screening may help save your life!

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month.

Although oral cancer has a high survival rate if it’s caught early, many times it’s diagnosed in the late stages when the survival rate is much lower. That’s why it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of oral cancer.

Signs and symptoms

Although oral cancer can be caused by factors such as tobacco use and HPV, the signs are pretty varied and diverse. They include:

Unexplained vocal changes;

A white or red patch on your tongue or gums;

A mouth or lip sore that won’t heal;

Swelling in the jaw or trouble moving your jaw;

Bleeding from your mouth or lips;

Unexplained sore throat;

A feeling as if there is a lump or something caught in your throat; and

Trouble moving your tongue.

Know the facts. If you have questions, your dentist is the best source to give you personalized information.

If you develop any of these symptoms, it’s important to get checked out immediately.

Because the mortality rate is so high if the disease is detected late, it’s important you get regular six-month check-ups with your dentist. During the check-up, your dentist will check your mouth tissues. And, may just save your life.

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you.

When the body experiences inflammation, a protein is created that is a known factor in heart disease. If your teeth are heavily inflamed because of gingivitis and periodontitis, then you will produce this protein that can cause your risk level to increase.

What can you do about this?

Show how much you care about your heart by caring for your teeth. Make sure to brush and floss regularly. Visit a dentist twice a year for check-ups and routine dental work. If you do develop gingivitis or periodontitis, then consider mentioning this to your doctor to see if you’re also at risk for heart disease.

Eat properly and exercise regularly. Your health is not something to mess around with!

She doesn’t worry about heart disease now that she read these tips!

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you. Check out our Twitter, Facebook page, and website.

Lay off the sugar.

Stay away from sugary foods as much as possible. Sure, you can still have a slice of pumpkin pie with your meal. Just be sure to brush your teeth well when you’re done. Sugary foods take longer to break down inside your mouth. This creates bacteria that are harmful to the teeth and increase the chances of developing cavities and tooth decay.

Don’t graze all day.

A big issue for many on Thanksgiving is the “grazing factor.” This allows acids to build up in the mouth, which can also cause cavities and tooth decay.

Drink water.

Stay away from sugary sodas and sweetened tea as these can also cause tooth decay. Drink plenty of water and also rinse your mouth out with water whenever possible.

Eat a variety.

Pies, rolls, stuffing, macaroni and cheese—these are all popular foods that are loaded with carbohydrates. Mix in a variety of vegetables that can help fight acids from building up and causing tooth decay.

Stay away from hard or sticky foods.

Anything requiring a hammer to break is NOT recommended for your dental health.

Hard foods like nuts or brittle can crack your teeth. When it comes to these, just say no! The same goes for sticky foods like pecan pie that can stick easily to your teeth and be a problem when you try to clean them later.

Don’t forget the floss.

It’s perfectly OK to bring along a toothbrush and brush after a meal to keep your teeth clean. You should also bring along some floss to remove food from those hard to reach areas that can affect your gum health.

Follow these tips to keep your healthy, happy teeth into the New Year!

Medical costs in the United States are a hotly debated topic. However, no matter where your personal convictions on the subject lie, there is no denying that getting sick can be very expensive. Dental work can be expensive, too, which has led to a rise in medical tourism, or dental tourism, when people travel to foreign countries specifically for dental work, and it is far more common than most people think.

Where do people go?

For medical tourism in general, there are different countries around that world that will cater to specific needs, but when it comes to teeth Mexico is king. There are several reasons for this.

Mexico is close – People who are looking for a bargain on their dental work are always happy that cheap flights or even buses are available.

It’s been done before – Every year about half a million Americans get dental work done abroad, with about 40% of those patients traveling out of the country specifically to receive cheap dental work. There are even entire border towns in Mexico that specialize in dental work and cater to foreign customers.

It is far cheaper abroad – Dental work abroad can cost 1/10 of the price it costs in the United States. For Mexico in particular, dental schooling is different. There are a number of factors ranging from schooling, to government aid, to cheap real estate that make practicing cheaper, which means they are able to charge less for procedures.

What are the downsides?

The obvious next question is, “if the work is so cheap is it safe?” Well, yes and no. If you do an internet search for dental tourism you are overwhelmed with stories of positive experiences and the popular border town dental offices have hundreds of reviews. It is a system that has clearly worked for a number of people, however, there are some issues.

Dental offices in Mexico are not required to carry the same malpractice insurance that American dental offices are required to carry. This means that if you dentistry goes badly, you are most likely out of luck. It would be tough to prosecute a case in a foreign country, and even if you won there is no guarantee that the dental office would be able to pay because of the insurance issues. So there is a certain level of inherent risk if you seek dental work in Mexico.

The take-away

While on the surface a vacation to Mexico where you can go scuba-diving one day and get necessary dental work done the next sounds like a pretty good deal to some people, but you should be extremely cautious before venturing down. Many of the offices near the border pack their schedules which gives their dentists very little time to rest. To compound the problem, almost all dental tourists have major issues, which take a lot of time and effort to correct. So there is a good chance the dentist you see will be tired and rushing. If you ask me, do everything you can to avoid having to travel to another country for dental work.

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you. Check out our Twitter, Facebook page, and website.

There are two indicators that a patient might, or most likely, has diabetes. Acetone breath, or breath that smells lightly like acetone, is the first tip off. When a dentist is working on a diabetic’s mouth they will be able to a sweet mix of fruit and nail polish remover. The distinct smell comes from ketoacidosis in the blood, which means that a much higher level of ketones are present in the blood due to the body burning extra fatty acids, which occurs when there is not enough sugar for cells to burn.

The second indicator is just a general indicator, but when combined with the first it can let a dentist be pretty sure that their patient is in fact a diabetic. Diabetes medicine almost always causes dry mouth, so if the suction tool isn’t picking up the normal amount of saliva, and the patients breath smells of acetone, then it is a pretty sure bet that they are a diabetic.

Bulimia

It may surprise people to know that dentists can often tell which patients suffer from bulimia, but the unique wear patterns left on teeth by constant exposure to stomach acid are almost always visible. While drinking too much soda, smoking, or using certain drugs will also wear your teeth down, these things tend to concentrate their erosive effects on the teeth in the front of the mouth. Bulimics’ wear down the teeth along the sides of their mouths.

If you do find yourself vomiting, for whatever reason, it is best not to brush your teeth right after. The enamel layer on top of your teeth will be weakened by the stomach acid for a little while. It is best to rinse your mouth with water, then maybe mouthwash if you have it, and wait half an hour to an hour before brushing.

Migraines

If someone has ground down teeth from constant grinding, it is one sign that they might be suffering from migraines. The condition of grinding your teeth, sometimes during your sleep, is called bruxism. There are other causes of bruxism such as stress, and occasionally there are people who are just grinders, but if a dentist sees the evidence of bruxism, there is a good chance that patient suffers from migraines.

Childhood Illness

Some childhood illnesses can pit or scar adult teeth that are developing at the time. When a dentist sees one or two teeth that are smaller, scared, or pitted in a mouth that is otherwise healthy, there is a good chance that the patient had a serious childhood disease that caused the oral malformation.

Opening Bottles With Your Mouth

Anyone who likes to open bottles with the teeth should know that it is really, really bad for your teeth. You never want to chew on metal, and you especially do not want to use your teeth as leverage in order to get a metal bottle cap off. If you do this enough, it will leave distinctive grooves on the back side of your teeth, as well as shred the enamel that protects your teeth.

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you. Check out our Twitter, Facebook page, and website.

With summer fast approaching, it is once again that time of year to start thinking about grilling. Somehow food just seems to taste better after it’s been cooked outside, and out of all the things that are possible to grill, which is pretty much everything, these are two of my favorite chicken recipes.

Chicken Skewers

The shish kabob sometimes gets dismissed by serious grillers, but I have always enjoyed them. I have to admit though, instead of focusing on cherry tomatoes (which are great, but I prefer to keep them on a salad) and peppers, I like to keep it simple and stick with just meat. This recipe always comes out well, a spicy Asian chicken.

In a large bowl mix together ½ cup packed light brown sugar, ½ cup rice vinegar, 1/3 cup hot chili paste, ¼ cup fish sauce, ¼ cup Sriracha, and 2 teaspoons of grated ginger. Once all of these ingredients have been mixed together, simply dunk the pieces of chicken and then skewer them. If you soak the skewers in water overnight they will do better on the grill. Once you have coated all of the chicken, pour the rest of the marinade into a pan and stick it on the grill too. As the chicken cooks, which should take 8-10 minutes, baste it with the hot sauce. Enjoy!

Beer Can Chicken On The Grill

Beer can chicken became really popular recently, and for good reason. It is insanely easy, very versatile, and it produces a juicy chicken every time. When I grill a beer can chicken, I like to keep it simple. First you need to drink about half of the can of beer (make sure to wash the can, you don’t want to use a dirty one). As you are drinking fill a drip pan with about half an inch of water and put it on the grill over an unlit burner.

Next, season the chicken. You can use any seasoning you like, but one of my favorites is a combination of 4 tablespoons kosher salt, 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons paprika, and 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper. Once you have mixed these ingredients together rub the chicken with it. Then put the chicken over the half full beer can, legs down, and put it on the grill over an unlit burner. You want to cook it with indirect heat. It usually takes about an hour for the chicken to fully cook, depending on how hot the grill is.

For a slight variation on this recipe, try using a different rub. Here is another one of my favorites, but this one is more complicated. Combine ½ cup paprika, 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper, 5 tablespoons ground black pepper, 6 tablespoons of garlic powder, 3 tablespoons of onion powder, 6 tablespoons of salt, 2 1/2 tablespoons of dried oregano, 2 ½ tablespoons of dried thyme. This should give you more than enough for one chicken, but the extra stores really well. It also works on almost any type of meat that you want to grill, so having leftovers just makes grilling next time easier.

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you. Check out our Twitter, Facebook page, and website.

New documents have recently been released that detail big sugar’s (the Sugar Research Foundation, which is a group sponsored by the biggest players in the sugar industry) attempt to find a sugar vaccine which would prevent cavities, and other similar products. So let’s take it step by step and see how it all came together.

When did all of this happen?

The Sugar Research Foundation carried out its research in the late 1950s to the early 1970s. They received much of their money from the sugar industry, for obvious reasons, but they also received tax payer money. Their stated aim was to eliminate cavities in the general population and make sugary treats safer to eat. It actually sounds like a noble cause, until you remember that at the same time as they were conducting this research, they were also trying to downplay sugar’s negative effects in their advertisements.

So what did they try?

They had a few different ideas that they poured research into. They tried to create a powder, that when mixed with sugary foods would attack the bacteria in your mouth and kill it before it had a chance to digest the sugary carbohydrates and secrete acidic waste that causes cavities. They also thought about reengineering sugar to make it less harmful, which in a small way has come true with all the artificial sweeteners that are on the market today and that are generally some derivative of sugar. However, it should be noted, big sugar’s research did not lead to any of them. Their boldest avenue of research was a vaccine that would prevent cavities. Much like the powder, they wanted to target the specific bacteria in a person’s mouth that are most commonly the main cause of cavities. The belief was that if they could neutralize the biggest contributor to cavities, kids would no longer have to worry about eating sugary delights.

So what came out of it?

Nothing really. It turned out to be a waste of money. And in the case of the taxpayer money that was spent, it could have been put to better use educating people about the dangers of eating too much sugar instead of trying to find a magic bullet cure to the problem. Big sugar was running ads around this time about how children needed sugar to ‘stimulate’ their brains and ‘grow up strong’. Notions that the general public now knows are bogus. However, years of education and PSAs were needed to combat the misinformation spread by big sugar.

Where do we stand now?

Almost everyone now understands that sugar is awful for your body and especially for your teeth. Schools now do a great job of teaching this to young kids. Unfortunately, knowing something is bad for your health and acting on that knowledge are two different things. Cavities are the number one chronic childhood disease in America, with no solution in sight. The best thing you can do as a parent is make sure your child takes good care of their teeth, and limit your kid’s sugar intake. It is important to realize just how many products now contain sugar, and just how bad it can be for teeth.

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you. Check out our Twitter, Facebook page, and website.